Imagining our Belize Honeymoon

Just under 48 hours ago, we walked down the aisle, in front of a crowd of 200 of our closest friends and family. We professed our love, and celebrated. Everything went off beautifully and exactly as planned. All our guests had a great time, the weather was perfect, and best of all, after an 18 month engagement, we are finally married. All the hours of planning, decision-making, and worry are behind us; and we are now sitting in a hammock on the deck outside our luxurious suite overlooking the sights and sounds of the rain forest. One of my hands is locked with the hand of my new wife. The other hand holds a glass of champagne. We are newlyweds at the Inn at Chaa Creek in the Cayo district of Belize and there isn’t a worry in the world.

Our wedding is scheduled for May 22, 2011. And whenever the stress of wedding venues, hotel room blocks, or Save the Dates is too much; Sarah and I take a minute to picture what our honeymoon will be like…

The combination of adventure of luxury: For us, a typical “vacation” combines adventure with luxury. While we might sleep in tents, wake at sun-rise to pursue the outdoor recreational activity of the day – kayaking, climbing, rafting, hiking, biking, and swimming – and push our bodies to the extreme, we also like to sprinkle in some luxury – a night at a Bed and Breakfast, a romantic dinner out at a fancy restaurant, or a trip to a Spa. While a typical vacation might be about 4 parts adventure to 1 part luxury; for our honeymoon, we figured we would flip that ratio around and spoil ourselves.

Eco-minded Lavish Accommodations The Lodge of Chaa Creek will perfectly meet this requirement. With exquisite organic meals, deluxe private hatched accommodations, and a full-service spa; we know that we won’t be roughen it. As environmental conscious individuals, Chaa Creeks’ commitment to their surroundings, by supporting their local communities, delicate ecology, and sustainable development is quite the appeal. We can enjoy all of this while listening to the peaceful sounds of the rain forest from the “treetop Jacuzzi” suite. If a room that has both “treetop” and “Jacuzzi” in its name doesn’t scream “perfect honeymoon” spot, then I don’t know what else does!

Adventure Abounds! Despite the luxurious accommodations, there is no shortage of once-in-a lifetime adventures. For us, the ATM cave is a must – hiking, swimming, and climbing – over pottery, skeletons, and other Mayan ruins – through huge caverns and past enormous stalactites – through a chest deep river, in the pitch darkness of an underground cave. A visit to the jungle ruins in the El Petén area of Guatemala – just a short ride away from Chaa Creek – to explore the massive Mayan ruins of Tikal… Snorkeling with sharks and rays in Shark Ray Alley and scuba diving at the Great Blue Hole… horseback rides, butterfly trails, secret waterfalls all at our footsteps. It seems that there is so much to do in Belize that we’ll need to ensure we save some time to just relax and enjoy each other’s company after the joy, yet craziness, of our wedding!

Travel Time: We’ll arrive in Belize in the late morning, after just 6 hours of travel time from the Washington DC area. By early afternoon, we’ll be relaxing at our jungle lodge. Unlike other potential Honeymoon destinations, we could be a world away in less than half a day… With only a week vacation, this means more time to enjoy our honeymoon and less time traveling to our destination.

For these reasons, and more, we couldn’t be more excited about our Honeymoon. We can picture it now and know that the Resort at Chaa Creek will kick off what is sure to be a perfect, happy, and healthy lifetime together.